The present invention relates to an automated scrolling control unit and an automated scrolling control system, and more particularly, to an automated scrolling control unit and an automated scrolling control system that display contents by scrolling in such a way that a user can read easily.
When an information display terminal displays contents (information) on a screen, it displays as one page portion the volume that can be displayed on one screen of an indicator, and when the remainder of the contents, which is not displayed, is present, it scrolls its contents to display. After the contents, which was being currently displayed on one screen, was read, in order to scroll the next screen, an operation such as pushing a button by a user and so forth are required. For this reason, when a large volume of information is received, it takes time to read it.
The scrolling display for automatically scrolling the contents is known. The scrolling control unit is also known that controls a scrolling speed of displaying the contents by scrolling according to the speed at which a user reads the contents. The scrolling control unit disclosed in JP-A-No.323941/1993, as shown in FIG. 23, comprises a central processing unit 101, a program work memory 102, a working memory 103, an input unit 104, a timer unit 105, a text work memory 106, an image work memory 107, a character generator 108, a display control unit 109 and an indicator 110.
When information displayed on the screen is character information, by making the scrolling speed variable according to the number of the characters, and when it is graphic information, by pre-storing a scrolling stop time associated with the graphic information and taking a variable control of the scrolling speed responding hereto, its problem has been solved. Namely, the scrolling speed has been determined based on the relation that the speed at which the user reads the characters is inversely proportional to the number of the characters being displayed, the speed, at which the user reads charts and images, has been pre-stored in connection with this information together, and the scrolling speed has been determined based thereon when displayed.
Accordingly, the objective of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned tasks.
Moreover, the objective of the present invention is to provide an automated scrolling control unit and an automated scrolling control system that automatically adjust the scrolling speed to the speed at which the user can read easily.
Sections for solving the tasks are expressed as follows. To technical matters, which come out in its expression, were attached numbers, symbols and so forth with parentheses ( ). Their numbers and symbols and so forth accord with reference numbers, reference symbols and so forth that were appended to the technical matters constituting at least one embodiment or plural examples out of plural embodiments and plural examples of the present invention, particularly to the technical matters that were described in drawings which correspond to the embodiment or the example thereof. Such reference numbers and reference symbols clarify correspondence/mediation between the technical matters of claims and that of the embodiments or the examples. Such correspondence/mediation does not mean that the technical matters of claims are limited to the embodiments or the examples to construe.
The automated scrolling control unit in accordance with the present invention includes a table section (23) that causes a keyword and a scrolling speed to correspond, an acquisition section (19) that retrieves the keyword from contents, and a display section (22) that displays the contents by scrolling at the scrolling speed that corresponded to the keyword retrieved based on the table sections. The scrolling speed at which the contents are scrolled automatically is preferably controlled by whether or not the user is interested in its the contents. The table section (23) causes the keyword, which is included in the contents being frequently displayed, to correspond to the scrolling speed at which the user can read easily.
Further is included a display control section (21) that updates the table section (23) when the scrolling speed was altered by the user while the display section (22) displayed the contents by scrolling. The scrolling speed at which the user can read easily is preferably updated at the moment when the contents are being automatically displayed by scrolling. The scrolling speed altered by the user is updated into the table section (23) as it is, or a function of the altered scrolling speed is updated into the table section (23).
When the keyword is not included in the contents, the display section (22) displays the contents by scrolling at the speed that is set up based on the number of characters being displayed on the display section. It is known that the scrolling speed is set up based on the number of characters being displayed. Such a scrolling display is better than that the scrolling display is not carried out automatically for the reason that the keyword is not included.
The automated scrolling control system in accordance with the present invention includes an information terminal (1) and a server (2) that provides the contents to the information terminal (1), the server (2), which includes a first table (42) that causes the contents and the keyword to correspond, provides to the information terminal (1) the keyword that corresponded to the contents based on the first table (42), and the information terminal (1) includes a second table section (23) that causes the keyword provided from the server (2) and the scrolling speed to correspond, an acquisition section (19) that retrieves the keyword from the contents, and a display section (22) that displays the contents by scrolling at the scrolling speed that corresponded to the retrieved keyword. Such a first table (42) is known, and is used for retrieving the contents and so forth. The keyword, which the second table (23) possesses, is provided from the server (2), and the user does not need to set up the keyword.
The server (2), which further includes a third table section that indicates the number of times which the information terminal (1) requested the contents at a predetermined period, does not provide the keyword to the information terminal (1) when the number of times is below the predetermined number of times. The keyword, which is provided to the information terminal (1), is regarded as the keyword in which the user is interested.
The server (2), which further includes a fabrication section that adds the keyword to the contents, provides to the information terminal (1) the contents to which the keyword was added. Such an addition can decrease the number of communication between the server (2) and the information terminal (1). At this moment, an acquisition section (19) of the information terminal (1) does not need to retrieve the added keyword and to retrieve the keyword from the contents.
The server (2), which further includes a forth table (44) that causes the information terminal (1) and the keyword, which the second table (23) belonging to the information terminal (1) possesses, to correspond, preferably dos not provide the keyword to the information terminal (1) when the keyword that corresponds to the contents is not present in the fourth table (44). The acquisition section (19) of the information terminal (1) can retrieve further easily.